IMO, I thought an abscessed tooth and the resulting root canal ranked right up there.

"On particularly rough days when I'm sure I can't possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100% and that's pretty good."

Posts: 5337 | Registered: Jan 2010 | From: Midwest

Tripletrouble♀ 39169Member # 39169

Posted: 6:16 PM, August 23rd (Friday), 2013

Love that!

Childbirth for me was the worst hell ever. I have been banned from telling the story of my son's birth to any pregnant women. I had PTSD. Everything went wrong. We both could have died, and I was actually hoping to just die. I screamed at the top of my lungs at the doctor every known curse word, begging her to just cut him out. Which she finally did. People are stunned to hear the story and know I got pregnant again on purpose.

40 somethings - me BW after 20 years
D Day April 2013
Divorced November 2013
Time is a great healer but a terrible beautician.

Posts: 677 | Registered: May 2013

kernel♀ 27035Member # 27035

Posted: 6:22 PM, August 23rd (Friday), 2013

Pretty damn brave of you Triple. I don't mean to belittle anyone's pain. I just thought this was funny.

I don't think anyone should tell their birth stories to first-time pregnant women. I hated that when I was pregnant - and I hated people touching my stomach too.

"On particularly rough days when I'm sure I can't possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100% and that's pretty good."

I share my birth stories a lot because pregnant women seem to only hear the really difficult stories.

My pelvis was the right shape, the girls heads were the right size and they were in the right position so for me it was like shitting a watermelon.

Twice.

Nowhere near as bad as I expected. I used to have panic attacks just thinking about childbirth when I was pregnant the first time. I also have a fear of needles so I opted for the Birth Centre route.

It was interesting to see them go into birthing positions to manage the pain - positions I remember being in myself.

I also loved the "STOP SMILING" and high five between the women.

I would have killed to know where in the 1-10 pain spectrum I was. That's the bit they can't simulate. You don't know if you're a 3 or an 8 and you also don't know if its going to be an hour of this or a day. Those were the toughest parts for me.

I had 2.5 hour totally natural births both times yet I had no idea if the hot and heavy I was in was a 3 on the scale nor whether it would feel like this or worse for another 24 hours.

I may have reached a point where I'd piss on him if he was on fire.... eventually!!

Posts: 5843 | Registered: Apr 2012 | From: Australia

sunflowergirl30♀ 28979Member # 28979

Posted: 10:50 PM, August 23rd (Friday), 2013

It wasnt for me. I have been through it twice. One with epideral one without. First labor 6 hrs, 15 min. Of pushing

2nd labor 4hrs about 5 min. Pushing.

First baby 8 Lbs 21in
Second baby 6Lbs 19in

I recovered faster without epideral.

All I have to say is i now know what they meant by ring of fire. Lol

It can be miserable though. I had friends who labored for days and pushed for hours. You just never know. My mom had horrible labors, 2 ending in emergency c-sections and great pregnancies. I had horrible pregnancies and great labors.

I was induced both times (both kids were 2 weeks overdue).
With DD, I was in labor for about 8 hours, then felt "the ring of fire", then settled into it. A few minute later she was born. Nothing horrible.

With DS, I was in labor for about 6 hours (back labor with him), then pretty much just spit him out. In general, DS's birth was easier than his big sister's birth, but the back labor (feeling the labor pains as back pain vs. abdominal) was worse to me.

It all depends. I guess you can simulate being in pain in the abdominal area on anyone, but the reality of having one's uterus contract that strongly and for that long a duration is something unique.

With my first child the pain took over my entire body and I felt helpless each time a new contraction would start, knowing it would run me over like a truck and just holding on until it was done. I was really young and had never experienced pain like that. I was shocked by it and didn't know my body was capable of actually feeling that level of pain while people stood around telling me how normal it was. And I had always had such a high pain tolerance. But it was also the fear I felt when the baby was starting to come out, the feeling of being split open in the most sensitive part of my body. Ugh. I don't think any simulation of muscle contractions could truly mimic the experience of your intestinal/bowel/genital area being split open by something forcing its way out of you.

My second birth was psychologically easier because I knew what was coming and was able to get on top of the pain, and I had a lot more confidence in my body at the time. I knew what was coming and I knew it would last a finite amount of time, and that we would be okay at the end of it.

In any case, I don't think just having electric stimulation of stomach muscles has much to do with the childbirth experience. I mean by the time you give birth, your stomach muscles are the least of the pain, and the separation of body parts, the extreme pressure and splitting open of sensitive skin, muscles and nerves that are normally protected or touched gently - that was the scary part, not just the contractions.

Posts: 3222 | Registered: Mar 2005

jrc1963♀ 26531Member # 26531

Posted: 10:53 AM, August 24th (Saturday), 2013

17 hours of shear unadulterated living hell... followed by an emergency C-Section.

DS is a real treasure, so I forgave him...

I even tried to get pregnant again, to no avail.

But Holy hell it was the worst pain ever.

Walking around on a broken foot for two hours was a "cake walk" compared to that.

My child was 6 lbs, 9 ounces and was born frank breech. That means doubled up, butt first. I weighed 118 lbs at the time of birth. Small frame. Pain from 3pm Friday until 6pm Saturday when the miracle finally happened. I wanted to die, prayed to die. It was cruel for me not to have a c-section and to this day I don't know why I didn't. I was in a Catholic hospital (I'm not Catholic) and at one point in my groggy pain filled night, I saw a priest with beads praying. I knew I was in trouble them. :) But I made it.

So now, given ANY difficult situation, I always say to myself ..."I got through THAT, I can get through THIS."

"Because I deserve better"

Posts: 1043 | Registered: Feb 2005

kernel♀ 27035Member # 27035

Posted: 3:25 PM, August 24th (Saturday), 2013

LOL at Sad's post!

"On particularly rough days when I'm sure I can't possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100% and that's pretty good."

Posts: 5337 | Registered: Jan 2010 | From: Midwest

Jennifer99♀ 39551Member # 39551

Posted: 6:17 PM, August 24th (Saturday), 2013

I would say so Jeanie!

Posts: 556 | Registered: Jun 2013

Runninggirl♀ 9973Member # 9973

Posted: 8:40 PM, August 24th (Saturday), 2013

Child birth was easy compared to when the "babies' turn about 13!!

Shock has worn off. Now the 'fun' begins.
After several years of solid R, (F)MOW
CHECKS IN in to say Hi~ H CHECKS OUT briefly and "forgets to tell me" because IT HADN'T gotten
physical this time. 4 months out again same MOW

Posts: 2852 | Registered: Mar 2006 | From: The Valley

Undefinabl3♀ 36883Member # 36883

Posted: 12:32 PM, August 26th (Monday), 2013

I would rather go through the physical act of child birth then being pregnant for 10 months.

I had easy labors, horrible horrible pregancies.

I think that is why I accepted the birthing so well, cause I would have walked through burning shards of anthrax laced shards of glass then stay pregant. (ok, maybe a little overdone there, but still, i hated the carrying of the baby part).

The nurse with DS (my first) started me on 'practice pushes' i was like Wahhh? She said that its very normal for first time moms to push for hours.

ZOMGWTFAYKM?!?! No way in hell was I pushing for hours....I pushed that kid out in 25 minutes. The doctor almost didnt get there.

The second time i was a pro, told the nurse that when it was time to push she needed to call the doctor right away. I wasn't lying. I had DD out in about 15 minutes and the nurse was holding her head until the doctor could put his gloves on LOL

I got a tattoo for my 50th birthday - it took an hour to finish. I guess I took it pretty well, because the artist kept checking on me and told me I tolerated it better than a lot of big, strong men. I told her after childbirth, everything else is gravy!

NL

Even if you can't control the world around you, you are still the master of your own soul.

Posts: 7843 | Registered: Aug 2005

JanaGreen♀ 29341Member # 29341

Posted: 3:28 PM, August 26th (Monday), 2013

I feel like I might be killed for saying this, but my experience was not that bad.

Of course, I opted for the epi.

Just so you don't hate me, I did bleed off and on for the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, and then for four months afterward (how's that for TMI?) So I feel like I earned my "easy" L&D. I did tear like a sumbitch but I didn't feel it until after the epi wore off.

You don't have to feel bad for NOT feeling that much pain during childbirth.

Me: 42
Two boys: 17 and 14
Divorced 12-13-05
d-day 10-02-01

Laughter will cure life's ills. Have you had your laugh today?

Posts: 25649 | Registered: Jun 2002 | From: California

whatdoto♀ 28555Member # 28555

Posted: 8:42 AM, August 27th (Tuesday), 2013

DS is 29 now. He was 10 lbs 9 oz at birth. Had him natural, no meds. He had the cord tied around his neck and I was pushing for what seemed like days. I tore big time and it took the Dr. 20 mins to sew me up inside and outside. DS was born with 4" long blonde hair that was dry. Dr. couldn't believe he was that big and had the nurse weigh him again. Yep, 10 lbs. 9 oz.

While I was in my room I had to have one of those "lights" shining on my ass. Why you ask? Well, I had hemmroids (sp?) and I asked the nurse how big were they......she said, and I quote "In the 17 years I've been a nurse I've never seen hemmroids that big." She then held her fist up and said "that big" I had also gained 70 lbs. (I was 113 when I got pregnant).

I made my own maternity dresses too. Actually, they were tents with arm holes.

DS15 was 8 lbs.

No, it's not that bad. Actually, I loved being pregnant.

"If your ideal image of yourself is in the future, it's going to stay there".